How Old is Your Brain?

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I've worked on tons of stories about how to keep your memory sharp as you age—follow a Mediterranean-style diet, stay active, maintain ties in your community, etc.—but what I really want to know is how great my risk is of having a problem. Unfortunately, there aren't any reliable ways for me to predict that, so when I heard about the free Brain Health Barometer quiz at marblesthebrainstore.com I was curious but skeptical. After testing it out a few times I have to say that it's pretty interesting.

The quiz asks you a bunch of questions about your family and personal medical history and habits, and then interprets the answers based on solid scientific research. I ran the quiz for myself and then again for each of my parents, and I ended up learning some things I didn't know. For example, I didn't realize that going through chemo or having a parent with Parkinson's increases your risk for dementia.

The Brain Health Barometer also gives you suggestions for how to improve your memory, based on your results. Some of these seemed like good ideas but I found a few to be a little questionable (i.e.- it recommended hormone therapy for postmenopausal women, which might reduce dementia risk but cause other dangerous side effects). My advice: Check out the quiz and then discuss the results with your doctor.